Swiss Hunting Statistics 2022: What the Federal Figures Show

The Federal Hunting Statistics document the reported kills and animals found dead of numerous wild mammal and bird species in Switzerland. For 2022 they record 132’264 wild animals killed, 16’112 fewer in the «kill» category than the previous year. This dossier is part of Wild beim Wild’s annual analysis; the method, background and demands are set out in the 2025 hunting statistics dossier.

Those who want to dig deeper will find the most comprehensive body of material in our dossier overview.

What awaits you here

The balance sheet: Wild animals killed in 2022 compared with 2021.
Endangered species: Which Red List species were shot.
Fox and badger: The differences between the cantons.
Geneva: Animals found dead and wild boar damage in the canton without recreational hunting.
Bird hunting: Crows, pigeons, ducks and jays.
Wounded and perished: Animals with gunshot injuries.
Protected species: Special kills of protected species.
Data gaps: What the federal statistics do not explain.
What would need to change: The key demands.
Arguments and quick links: Answers to common claims, further articles and the other years.

132’264 wild animals killed: the 2022 balance sheet

In 2022 the federal statistics recorded 123’539 wild animals in the «kill» category (2021: 139’651) and 8’725 as «special kill» (2021: 9’411). A total of 38’073 animals were found dead as fallen game. The reported number of active hunters was 30’522.

Species	Kill 2022	Special kill 2022	Fallen game 2022	Kill 2021
Roe deer	42’722	422	17’024	43’166
Red fox	15’478	1’444	10’449	21’284
Red deer	13’543	224	1’434	12’851
Wild boar	7’974	1’459	677	12’974
Chamois	10’216	132	1’332	10’405
Marmot	3’826	977	74	5’814
Badger	2’965	830	3’859	2’918

Endangered species in the crosshairs

Species	CH status	Killed 2022	Main cantons	Killed 2021
Woodcock	vulnerable (VU)	1’805	TI 1’447, NE 122, VD 82	1’587
European hare	vulnerable (VU)	1’601	GR 1’073, VS 341, VD 93	1’479
Mountain hare	near threatened (NT)	1’079	GR 872, VS 83, TI 49	836
Black grouse	NT, national priority	434	TI 167, VS 145, GR 119	387
Rock ptarmigan	NT, national priority	319	GR 222, VS 65, UR 32	324
Eurasian teal	vulnerable (VU)	76	FR 28, SG 18, VS 14	132
Tufted duck	vulnerable (VU)	56	OW 19, UR 11, ZG 9	164
Great crested grebe	NT, national priority	36	NW 17, NE 6, OW 5	48
Common pochard	endangered (EN)	17	TG 12, BE 2, SZ 2	49
Wild rabbit	endangered (EN)	14	VS 14	2
Gadwall	vulnerable (VU)	11	TG 9, VS 2	11

«Killed» comprises «kill» and «special kill». For woodcock, 1’447 of the 1’805 kills come from Ticino. For brown hares, 1’073 of 1’601 are accounted for by Grisons. For birds, the classifications refer to Swiss breeding populations; the statistics do not allow us to determine what share of the kills involves migratory or wintering birds. Background: dossiers on Woodcock, on the European hare, on the mountain hare, on the Rock ptarmigan and on the waterfowl.

Fox and badger: large differences between the cantons

Canton	Foxes killed	Special kill	Total per 100 km²	Fallen game
Bern	1’964	276	37,6	2’752
Lucerne	1’977	26	134,2	450
Aargau	1’565	0	111,5	1’035
Grisons	1’352	45	19,7	442
Appenzell Outer Rhodes	354	7	148,6	125
Geneva	0	10	3,5	133
Ticino	62	87	5,3	71

The most foxes per area were killed in Appenzell Outer Rhodes (148.6 per 100 km²), around 28 times as many as in Ticino (5.3). Why Ticino hardly shoots any foxes is explained by the 2025 dossier. For badgers, Bern reported 1’022 animals as fallen game, while 466 were killed. Background: Fox dossier and Badger dossier.

Geneva: no recreational hunting since 1974

In Geneva, 133 foxes were found dead in 2022, 47.2 per 100 km². By comparison: Aargau 73.7, Bern 46.2, Thurgau 60.2, Zurich 84.5. Fallen game also depends on traffic; the reported figures do not prove a «fox plague» in Geneva.

For wild boar damage, Geneva reported 91’000 francs, Vaud 733’843 and Aargau 553’297. Per km² of cantonal area, Geneva ranked 3rd of 19 cantons with reported damage at 323 francs; Jura topped the list with 438 francs. These comparisons describe reported figures and, on their own, prove no effect of hunting. More: Geneva and the hunting ban.

Bird hunting: crows, pigeons, ducks and jays

In 2022, 26’013 birds of huntable species were killed (2021: 29’851).

Species	Killed 2022	Cantons of note
Carrion crow	8’811	ZH 1’482, SG 1’182, AG 1’053
Feral pigeon	5’114	ZH 2’167, VD 772, SO 417
Mallard	4’701	SG 639, VD 570, BE 558
Woodcock	1’805	TI 1’447, NE 122, VD 82
Cormorant	1’205	ZH 159, VD 146, BE 143
Jay	1’173	TI 487, GR 229, VS 70
Magpie	733	BE 102, GR 101, SZ 66
Wood pigeon	680	NE 156, JU 119, SG 86

In the case of the Eurasian jay, a bird that is not endangered but is important for the dispersal of tree seeds, 487 kills were recorded in Ticino. More in the dossiers on the Jay, on corvids and on the pigeons.

Shot and died

As cause of death, the 2022 statistics list “gunshot injuries” for 293 animals among the mammal species analysed: roe deer 145, red fox 72, wild boar 30, red deer 23, chamois 16, badger 7. Only animals that were found are recorded.

Protected species in the special kill

In 2022, the cantons reported special kills of protected species, including 19 grey herons, 16 mute swans, 12 beavers and 2 greylag geese. For wolf, lynx and bear, the public query returns no results. Wolf kills are documented by the wolf counter.

Data gaps: what the federal statistics do not explain

Whether a zero conceals a missing report cannot be determined from the query alone. The following need explaining:

Valais: The federal statistics record no fallen game for the fox, as in every year since 2016.
Vaud: No figure given for the number of people hunting; for the wood pigeon a zero is entered (2021: 281 killed).
Glarus: For the marmot, zero animals killed are listed, against 98 and 86 in the years before and after. For the mallard, likewise a zero (2021: 30).

The method of the analysis is described in the 2025 dossier.

What needs to change

No recreational hunting of endangered species: Woodcock, brown hare, mountain hare, black grouse, rock ptarmigan and endangered duck species must be removed from the list of huntable species.
Complete and uniform reporting: All cantons must report kills, special kills and fallen game without gaps, and publicly explain any gaps.
Professional wildlife management: Where interventions are necessary, trained game wardens should carry them out. The full demands can be found in the 2025 dossier.

Talking points

“Endangered species are only hunted in moderation.” In 2022, 1’805 woodcocks and 1’601 brown hares were killed; both species are classed as vulnerable in Switzerland.

“Without fox hunting, there would be a fox plague.” In Geneva, where hunting has been banned since 1974, 47.2 foxes per 100 km² were found dead in 2022. In Aargau, Thurgau and Zurich, where hundreds to thousands of foxes are shot every year, the figures were higher.

“Wounded animals are isolated cases.” The animals found with gunshot injuries in 2022 alone add up to 293. Animals that die undiscovered appear in no statistic.

Quick links

Editions of the hunting statistics:

Related dossiers:

sources

FOEN, Federal Hunting Statistics, editions 2021 and 2022, queried on 21.10.2026 (jagdstatistik.ch)
FOEN/info fauna: Red List of Mammals, 2022 (bafu.admin.ch)
FOEN/Swiss Ornithological Institute: Red List of Breeding Birds, 2021 (bafu.admin.ch)
Federal Statistical Office: Areas of the cantons

Our Standard

IG Wild beim Wild analyses the Federal Hunting Statistics in full every year and compares the annual editions with one another. Behind every number stands a nonhuman animal that was killed, wounded or run over. This dossier will be updated if the Confederation supplies or corrects figures for 2022.

More on the topic of recreational hunting: in our hunting dossier we bring together fact checks, analyses and background reports.